What happened on The Walking Dead last night (Oct. 9, 2022)

The October 9 episode of The Walking Dead was action-packed and contained some significant story-building. The episode was titled “A New Deal” and was the eighteenth episode of the 24-episode final season.

This article contains spoilers for The Walking Dead season 11, episode 18, “A New Deal.” 

The title comes from Carol (Melissa McBride) brokering a deal with the Commonwealth Governor Pamela Milton. She was able to negotiate her friends being forgiven for their crimes against the community and secure the resources they need to rebuild their own communities.

The episode begins with a fantastic look back at Daryl through the years, narrated by Judith (Cailey Fleming), and the first scene picks up immediately following the previous episode. Daryl (Norman Reedus) was holding a knife to Lance Hornsby’s (Josh Hamilton) neck with the intent of killing him. The cavalry arrives in the form of Carol, Milton and Mercer (Michael James Shaw). Milton orders Daryl not to kill him, and he complies by only stabbing him in the hand, telling Milton, “Don’t worry. He’ll live.” This was an act of defiance, letting Milton know where he stands.

The Walking Dead season 11, episode 18

After everyone starts packing to leave the Commonwealth, Aaron (Ross Marquand), Jerry (Cooper Andrews), Lydia (Cassady McClincy), and Elijah (Okea Eme-Akwari) are tasked with heading to Oceanside to inform them of the new plan.

This week Daryl and Judith had some great moments. Daryl is trying his best to be the father figure she needs, and Judith is wrestling with wanting to help those in the Commonwealth that need it and going home. In the beginning, she decides not to pick up her weapon again, but by the end of the episode, she is resigned to the fact that she has to keep her gun close in this world.

The Founder’s Day Festivities proceed, but things don’t go exactly as planned when Max (Margot Bingham) tapes a monologue by Sebastian (Teo Rapp-Olsson). This recording tells the community what Sebastian really thinks of the citizens and reveals some private information that the Miltons didn’t want the residents to know.

Hornsby was imprisoned, but his thugs, Calhoun (Michael Tourek) and Shira (Chelle Ramos) continue to do his dirty work. They kill a cleaning crew, shooting them in the chests to ensure their reanimation, which creates havoc during the Founder’s Day celebration.

This leads to the death of Sebastian Milton. Someone will have to pay for his death, and the trailer for the upcoming episodes tells us it will be Eugene (Josh McDermitt). He was the one who threw the walker in Sebastian’s direction, and no one tried to help as the walker attacked.

It was another great episode that had enough action to keep it exciting while also building some great stories that will lead to the end. One thing that has been refreshing as these final episodes air, our survivors are mentioning previous characters. This is a beautiful way to include them in the story’s last chapter.

The Walking Dead season 11, episode 19, “Variant,” airs on October 16.

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